The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-06-29
THE PEOPLES HERITAGE,
Its Depletion Stopped for the First Time
in Quarter Of Century.

in q Quarter Of n Century.
Whatever may be laid to President
Cleveland's charge by his partisan OPP
ponents, he will upon one ground be
long held in grateful remembrance by
the people. During his Administra-
ton and under his direction the deple-
ton and robbery Of the public domain
has for the first time in a quarter of
century received check; and future
generations finding that Uncle Sam
still has land to give them farm will
look back to President Cleveland's
time with heartfelt gratitude.
A good deal has been done in Con-
gress toward restoring to the public
the lands unjustly and unlawfully
turned over to or claimed by the land
grant railroads, but the most impor-
tant step in the direction of reform is
that which has been taken by the Sec
Rotary of the Interior in respect to the
revocation of the orders withdrawing
railroad indemnity lands from settle
ment. The decision of the President
in the Guilford Miller case paved the
way for this action; and the wonder is,
in the light of that decision, that ac-
ton was not taken long since. The
fact that it has not been can only be
accounted for On the theory that those
interested in the indemnity lands, so
called, exercised too much influence
over Congress and the Administration
at Washington.
The whole business of withdrawing
these lands was disgraceful piece of
subserviency to the railroad corpora
tons. They had their grants and the
land they took up under them was at
all times, as the event has shown,
largely in excess Of any amount which
they had actually earned by compli-
ance with the terms of their grants.
Congress has been compelled to forfeit
millions of acres because of the failure
of the corporations to comply with
those conditions. And yet at the same
time enormous tracts of land were
withdrawn and Withheld from sale and
settlement to ''indemnify'' these cor
porations against any shortage in the
grant, There was no provision even
in the cases where Indemnity lands''
were actually earned, compelling the
corporation to make selection so that
the rest of the withheld territory might
be thrown open to settlement; and the
companies very naturally and thriftily
postponed their selection so that it
might be ascertained which lands were
most valuable, or, in some cases, which
lands had been enhanced in value by
settlers. And this monstrous injus-
tice of discriminating against the
settler in favor of railroad companies,
whose claim was at best incomplete
and in many cases had no legal exist
ence, has been persisted in for years,
while the public domain available for
settlement grew narrower and mar
rover every year.
The putting an end to this rank in
justice. this gross favoritism in behalf
of railroad corporations stamps Presi-
dent Cleveland's Administration as the
first real friend the people have had in
power at Washington since the war.
1t may be thought, perhaps, that we
are too sanguine in speaking of the in
justice as ended. Future administra-
tions, it may be urged, will undo the
work which that of President Cleveland
has begun and is evidently determined
to complete. We think not. It is not
unlikely that in the vicissitudes of pol
tiles there may be eras in the future of
corruption and robbery like that which
began during the war and was only
terminated by the triumph Of the De-
mocracy three years ago. But if there
are they will take some ether form
than that of attack upon the public
domain. There is an aroused public
sentiment in that behalf which will
make it impossible for many long
year to inaugurate any such raid upon
the peoples land as that for which the
robbers are now being brought to
Judgment. Detroit Free Press.